“You…” The burly man seemed extremely irritated. Clenching his fists, he took a step forward.
“What? Are you trying to force a sale? The Ye family isn’t someone to be bullied!” The stall owner rolled his eyes and retorted without holding back.
“Hmph! The Ye family thinks so highly of themselves!” Although the burly man didn’t back down verbally, he still relaxed his fists, clearly showing great wariness toward the Ye family.
The man was furious that the stall owner had used the Ye family to pressure him. As a tenth-layer expert, he was accustomed to being flattered by others. Now, faced with such humiliation, his initial instinct was to storm off in anger. However, he couldn’t bear to part with the “Gale Bowl.” He knew that this magical instrument was perfectly suited to his cultivation technique. If he could acquire it, it would undoubtedly significantly boost his strength. But at the moment, aside from this artifact fragment, all his other items were essential, and he had spent all his spirit stones just a few days ago. He found himself caught in a dilemma.
“Brother, how about selling this fragment to me? I offer ten spirit stones.” From the crowd of onlookers, a man dressed in a loose gray robe stepped forward. He cupped his hands in salute to the burly man and spoke with sincerity.
“No deal! If you want to buy it, bring thirty spirit stones.” The burly man shook his head vigorously like a rattle-drum, utterly unwilling to accept such a price.
“Ahem! If this artifact fragment were just a bit larger, it might be worth that price. Unfortunately, it’s too small and can only cover very limited items!” Seeing the man’s refusal, the gray-robed man showed a look of regret but didn’t press further and returned to the crowd.
“Twelve spirit stones, will you sell?”
“I offer thirteen!”
…
Many of the cultivators watching were tempted by the artifact fragment. Even if they couldn’t use it immediately, keeping it for further study might yield some valuable insights!
Before long, the price had been driven up to twenty spirit stones by a simple-looking round-faced young man.
At such a high price, the others fell silent. They all felt that this was already a steep price, and going any higher would be wasteful. After all, low-level cultivators like them considered themselves fortunate to have around ten spirit stones. Most of the bidders were disciples from prominent families, as they were the only ones with slightly more resources.
“Twenty?” The burly man’s expression shifted. This price had already reached his bottom line! If he could pair it with another item, he might be able to trade for the “Gale Bowl” from the stall owner.
“Are you willing to pay twenty spirit stones?” The burly man asked the round-faced young man in a friendly tone.
For some reason, the round-faced young man’s face alternated between red and white, and he seemed extremely flustered.
“I… don’t… have that many spirit stones!” The anxious young man stammered out these words, leaving everyone in the crowd stunned.
“You don’t have them? Then why did you bid earlier? Are you deliberately mocking me?” The burly man flew into a rage, his pent-up anger exploding instantly. The overwhelming pressure he emitted crushed the young man completely.
“I just thought it was fun to join the bidding! I casually threw out a higher offer! Please forgive me, brother!” The round-faced young man hurriedly tried to explain himself. He was drenched in sweat, with bean-sized droplets rolling down his forehead. As a mere fifth-layer cultivator, how could he withstand such spiritual pressure?
“Who was it that bid nineteen spirit stones earlier? I’m willing to contribute one spirit stone to help you buy this item!” In a moment of desperation, the young man shouted.
Unfortunately, the surroundings fell silent, and no one responded. It seemed that bidder had also changed their mind.
“What about the brother who bid eighteen?” The young man, seeing the burly man’s increasingly hostile expression, was on the verge of tears. He was just an ordinary rogue cultivator with only two spirit stones to his name, painstakingly earned over an entire year.
Just as everyone thought they were about to witness a spectacle, “Hold on!” a calm voice suddenly rang out. A person walked in from outside the crowd and stopped the burly man.
“What do you want?” The burly man asked with a dark expression, staring at the newcomer. His patience was wearing thin. If this person was here to cause trouble, he wouldn’t mind dealing with him as well, even though the newcomer was no weakling—a ninth-layer cultivator.
“I’m very interested in this item and would like to take it.” The man pointed at the “cloth” and said with a smile.
This cultivator, whom the burly man suspected of causing trouble, was none other than Han Li.
Earlier, when Han Li heard that this artifact fragment could conceal and mask spiritual energy, an idea had sparked in his mind.
After the burly man demonstrated the concealment effect with the small knife, Han Li’s idea became clearer, and he became determined to acquire this artifact fragment. Even if the round-faced young man had actually possessed twenty spirit stones and intended to buy it, Han Li would have stepped in to intercept the transaction.
“How much are you offering?” The burly man was taken aback but relaxed his expression and asked.
“I don’t plan to buy it but to exchange it with this.” Han Li calmly took out a talisman from his sleeve and placed it on the stall for everyone to see clearly.
“A Flight Talisman!” someone knowledgeable immediately exclaimed.
“It’s a high-grade primary talisman!” The other cultivators were also astonished. After all, since the beginning of the Tai Nan Fair, only five or six high-grade primary talismans had appeared, each fetching an astonishing price.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage